[shric]

To be fair we have it far easier in Sydney than over in Silicon Valley. For example most (but not all) Sydney Googlers choose to stay in Sydney even though they have the chance to relocate to e.g. Mountain View or Sunnyvale for more than double the comp. This is because of the work life balance and culture here in Sydney compared to over there.

(I worked at Google Sydney for 5 years)

[bonjourmr]

Yeah, I touched on the lifestyle here being good, I completely relate - I just think it creates a conundrum.

Given this reality, we'll continue to be safe/slow followers to the rest of the world. Which is sad given this statistic! It is a huge wasted opportunity where we could be leaders in ideation, creations, thoughts, inventions etc.

I don't want life to change, but in the bigger picture, I don't want us to fall behind in the pack.

[nightowl_games]

> Which is sad given this statistic! It is a huge wasted opportunity where we could be leaders in ideation, creations, thoughts, inventions etc.

The statistic is about devs doing well on coding tests, not about any of the creative, innovative things you list.

Perhaps they are inversely related.

[ZephyrBlu]

What are the differences in W/L balance and culture between SV and Sydney?

[threeseed]

Apart from Sydney having almost perfect weather and being one of the most stunning cities in the world there are the political aspects.

Free healthcare, basically no gun crime, far less polarisation, more family friendly, far less homeless, a more successful multiculturalism environment, strong societal bonds i.e. we were able to get most of the country to agree to large scale lockdowns and mask wearing.

Mateship and community are embedded in the DNA of the country whereas in the US it's freedom and individuality. And those different styles permeate through everything.

But then S/V has the incredible IT and startup community which is unparalleled anywhere in the world.

[astrange]

US FAANG health insurance is better and cheaper than (Australian) Medicare, which doesn't cover dentists/therapists/psychiatrists/etc. Universal systems are of course better once you're too sick to keep your job.

Also, Sydney's cost of living and housing crisis is apparently even worse than SV, though I don't understand how that's possible. We're very dedicated to making housing expensive here.

[domlebo70]

Yeah maybe FAANG health insurance IS better and cheaper, I don't know. But I do know the general populous is better off with their insurance in Aus than the US. It's not just about your insurance, but about everyones. Less homeless, less poverty etc.

[astrange]

The homelessness is a West Coast thing caused by not having enough housing and banning cheap fixes like SROs. A lot of other things like mental health problems too, but many of those are caused by homelessness rather than causing it.

Even NYC doesn’t have as much of a homeless problem because they’re better about putting the people in homes.

[nsonha]

Australian Medicare almost covers nothing, I've always used private healthcare for things like dental and optical. It's a system designed to help people who are unable to afford private healthcare, which I have no problem with.

[threeseed]

Dentists are covered by Medicare and are basically free (bulk billed).

And Sydney doesn't really have a housing crisis anymore than Manhattan does. It's just that people want to live inner city without having to pay for it. You can find plenty of reasonably priced property if you go further out.

[robbiep]

I’m not sure if you’re thinking of somewhere else, but Medicare does not cover dentistry - some health services have dentistry but it basically takes care of those who are having poor Health outcomes due to poor dentition (my housemate at Med school was studying dentistry and used to do a couple days out at westmead a week drilling on these people).

[hnick]

IIRC dentistry is only covered in fringe cases for health related reasons i.e. you need this done or you will get very sick or die. Also under some concession schemes. Otherwise, regular check ups, cleaning, fillings, and basic extractions are not covered at all for the general population.

[shric]

AU FAANG pay for health insurance too.

[astrange]

I was actually just looking at this and our benefits in AU seem to be A$3000 a year allowance towards a private plan. That doesn't seem like a lot, but maybe it's enough.

[robbiep]

Private health insurance in Australia is quite cheap - my silver extras plan is $480/quarter (dentistry and basically anything else that could happen to me)

[InvertedRhodium]

I'd be inclined to bank the 3k/year and insure yourself - PHI in Australia is a borderline scam and half the time you'll end up in the public system anyway.

[hobos_delight]

Google Australia health insurance is about ~10k/year for a family (2 adults, 2 kids) to replicate outside - BUPA Corporate Platinum 90.

[nsonha]

There seems to be a double standard in every company that I applied to where the perks are more generous for US staffs. My friend works for an Australian unicorn expanding to the US who offers RSU for US staff but only share maching for Australians.

[shric]

That gets a good private plan here. Also that's after a large corporate discount

[shric]

Agree with parent completely. Also, maybe this is a rationalisation for not moving to SV but our software dev salaries are more than enough to live a very comfortable lifestyle. Sure, we're not going to retire in 5 years and cruise around on our yachts, but if you're beyond chasing material goods for status then living and working in Sydney in this industry is pretty great.

[killtimeatwork]

> Apart from Sydney having almost perfect weather and being one of the most stunning cities in the world there are the political aspects.

The first thing that comes to mind of many people when thinking about Australia: what about the scary snakes and spiders? How many encounters will I have with them while living in Sydney 'burbs and is it more than zero? What is the chance of randomly waking up with a giant spider on my face?

[ZephyrBlu]

What's the tech scene like in aussie? It's very sad in NZ and I'm pretty keen to move somewhere where there's a larger local community.

[shric]

In Sydney It's generally fine to arrive at 9 and leave at 5 as long as you produce reasonable output. In SV I noticed almost everyone worked way over 40 hours per week, overtime was the expectation and the norm.

I would assume this is not across all teams in all cases, just my first hand experience and also second hand anecdotes from colleagues.

[ZephyrBlu]

Interesting. I would have thought things at Google would be relatively chill. People on /r/cscareerquestions who work at FAANG usually say they work less than 40hrs a week.

[shric]

Maybe it's chill compared to other FAANG. I hear horror stories from Googlers in Seattle that are ex Amazon

[flukus]

I would be shocked if that sub wasn't thoroughly astro-turfed. The constant influx of new devs and repetitive questions, the relative lack of experienced devs and the potentially large payoff make it the ideal breeding ground for manipulation.

[ZephyrBlu]

There are quite a few regulars, and funnily enough most people on the sub are quick to call out possible astro-turfing. It seems unlikely that it's thoroughly astro-turfed.